Development Policy

By Paul Akiwumi, Director for Africa and Least Developed Countries, UNCTAD

Egypt needs to update its policy approach to economic transformation to fully benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Drawing on a powerful new database that tracks and traces the plastic life cycle, UNCTAD shows where countries can apply trade policy pressure to reduce pollution.

UNCTAD15, the UN trade and development body's fifteenth quadrennial conference, will take place under the theme “From inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all” as the world seeks solutions for a global new normal.

UNCTAD and other Geneva- Trade hub agencies must find ways to harness trade and the private sector to make sure that the post-2015 strategy for helping poor countries is sufficiently supported by economic forces, experts said.​

UNCTAD’s first policy brief on the post-2015 sustainable development agenda highlights the need to reform the global economic and financial system, if the goal of eradicating poverty is to become a reality.

The interconnected nature of the global economy contributed to the financial and economic crisis, UNCTAD's Secretary-General has said, however it also can help developing countries to recover from the crisis.

New UNCTAD report argues that the world economy is experiencing a structural shift, and that countries must introduce fundamental changes in their growth strategies in order to adjust to it. In particular, developing and transition economies that have been overly dependent on exports should give a greater role to domestic and regional demand.

UNCTAD Report explores the links between income distribution, growth and development, arguing that inequality is neither a necessary condition for sound economic growth, nor its natural result. Pro-active fiscal and income policies to reduce income gaps influence economic growth.